1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for inserting an area code into a dialed telephone number. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus and method which allows a prestored area code to be automatically inserted into a dialed telephone number.
2. Background of Related Art
The number of area codes in the United States are proliferating at an increasing rate. Hundreds of new area codes have been created in just the past few years. The increased number of area codes have resulted from an increased consumer demand, e.g., for multiple telephone lines for services such as additional home or business lines, facsimile machines, internet and/or e-mail services, etc. Many of the new area codes created by the local telephone companies comprise existing telephone lines which are divided or "split" from regions comprised of old area codes. Most new area codes are the result of divisions of old area code regions, but some are generally created as an "overlay" within original geographical regions served by original area codes. In an overlay region, the area code in the original geographical regions is served not only by the original area code but additionally by a new area code.
The creation of new area codes at the current accelerated rate, whether created by "split" or by "overlay", has added additional confusion for the typical telephone consumer when attempting to dial telephone numbers within these areas. For instance, in an increasing number of areas around the country, telephone consumers are now required to dial ten (10) digit telephone numbers for every call, even local calls, whereby in the past the telephone consumer was only required to dial a seven-digit telephone number. Moreover, due to the proliferation of new area codes, previous telephone calls to other telephones within the same region might now be a telephone call to a different area code. Unfortunately, ten digit dialing, whether required for all calls or just for those which would now reside in a different area code, increases the time necessary to dial telephone numbers, and might also require a user to relearn telephone numbers with a new area code.
FIG. 4 illustrates a conventional area code scheme showing an original area code geographical region 111 having an original area code (910), and the addition of new area codes (619) and (333) by the "overlay" method and the "split" method, respectively.
In particular, in the example of FIG. 4, an original area code, e.g., (910), is shown as being originally assigned to a geographic region 111. However, due to an increase in demand for additional telephone numbers, the local telephone company is shown to have split the geographic region 111 into two new area codes, e.g., (619) and (333). Due to decisions within the local telephone company, the new area code (333) is shown to have split from a region including the original area code (910) by dividing the geographic region 111 into a first geographic region 113 and a second geographic region 115. As a result of the split, the original area code (910) may, as shown in the given example, remain assigned to the first geographic region 113 and a new area code (333) may be assigned to the second geographic region 115. Furthermore, additional phone numbers may be provided in the first geographic region 113 by creating a new area code, e.g., (619) as an overlay to the original area code (910). In an overlay situation, both the original area code, e.g., (910), and the new overlayed area code, e.g., (619), are assigned to a common geographic region, e.g., the first geographic region 113.
Unfortunately, in the given example, a telephone consumer located in a city 117 in the original geographic region 111 might find themselves in a confusing situation after the new area codes (619) and (333) have been added to what used o be a homogeneous region comprising only one area code, e.g., (910). For instance, when a telephone consumer in the city 117 now attempts to make a telephone call to a telephone consumer in another city, e.g., in city 119 located in the second geographic region 115, the telephone consumer in the city 117 will be conventionally required to manually insert the new area code, e.g., (333) into the telephone number which may have been dialed previously either without any area code included (i.e., seven digit dialing), or with the same area code as the caller included, e.g., (910). Thus, the consumer must be acutely aware of the divisions of nearby geographic regions and their respective area codes as they change over time. With the larger number of area codes and continual changes over time, this becomes increasingly difficult.
Likewise, when a telephone consumer in the city 117 now attempts to make a telephone call to a relatively new telephone consumer in another city 121 located in the same first geographic region 113 as the telephone consumer in the city 117, the telephone consumer in the city 117 will be required to dial ten digits including the overlay area code, e.g., (619), or (619) 555-1212, particularly if the telephone consumer in the city 121 acquired their telephone number after the creation of the overlay area code (619) in the first geographic region 113.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an apparatus and method which allows a user to continue to use a seven digit telephone number for calls to telephone numbers in regions which were previously part of a same area code region even after new area codes are introduced into that original area code region.